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kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)

123. BSL-4 research lab space suits simply aren't needed for these patients.

Sat Oct 18, 2014, 01:29 PM

Oct 2014

Whatever the staff at the Biocontainmant Patient Care Units at Emory and NIH and Nebraska and the other place are JUST FINE. No staff have been infected there. It helps, of course, that they have had TRAINING.

A woman in Liberia treated her family of 6 successfully and avoided infection in her tin hut with nothing more than bleach, trash bags, a few latex gloves, a few surgical masks, and some IV fluids and setups for the patients. She also clearly had a keen sense of where virus could be and how to stay clean.

High tech isn't necessary if you have absolutely impeccable hygiene.

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Texas health care worker tests positive for Ebola [View all] cali Oct 2014 OP

None from Emory or Nebraska so far, right? greymattermom Oct 2014 #1

Yet people keep coming in from the infected region. Shemp Howard Oct 2014 #6

I hate to agree with you BUT the reason they can slip by is because they can be exposed and go for jwirr Oct 2014 #19

None of the family who cared for and lived with him for days in infected quarters had gotten it yet. uppityperson Oct 2014 #40

The problem is that they don't know FOR SURE whether there was a breach in protocol pnwmom Oct 2014 #49

Please be patient while they figure out how this woman got infected as first reports are often inacc uppityperson Oct 2014 #50

What was impatient about my post? The problem with their initial statements pnwmom Oct 2014 #59

true CullenBohannon Oct 2014 #44

I hear you. roamer65 Oct 2014 #67

Emory and Nebraska are 2 of the 4 hospitals especially designed to treat highly infectious LisaL Oct 2014 #20

Emory Healthcare workers who provided care Jawja Oct 2014 #33

How does this even happen? Chemisse Oct 2014 #2

Exactly what I was wondering. Turborama Oct 2014 #8

Not yet, no. Two weeks, not three for the EMT/admitting staff Yo_Mama Oct 2014 #10

Sunday release from quarantine seems premature krkaufman Oct 2014 #117

It's only been about 15 days notadmblnd Oct 2014 #12

This is probably someone who took care of him the first time he came to the hospital? jwirr Oct 2014 #22

Nope.... BooScout Oct 2014 #87

Yes, I saw that in DU just a little while ago. There seems to be something we are not doing. I just jwirr Oct 2014 #90

On Face the Nation just now, the guy said it only could have happened if protocol was broken Chemisse Oct 2014 #26

"kidney dialysis and respiratory intubation, posed higher risks for transmission of Ebola" dixiegrrrrl Oct 2014 #35

Or if the protocol is insufficient. They don't want to admit that, but the protocol pnwmom Oct 2014 #52

In BSL-4 labs that do ebola research, the scientists are in impermeable kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #74

Agreed. I think they don't want to admit the normal PPEs are not enough. It would cost too much magical thyme Oct 2014 #100

I think the space suits are probably the best way to ensure that human error isn't such a problem. kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #101

Agreed again. magical thyme Oct 2014 #103

If the dollars simply aren't there, maybe the nurses shouldn't be either. Chemisse Oct 2014 #122

BSL-4 research lab space suits simply aren't needed for these patients. kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #123

In fact, that IS indeed the only way it could have happened. AverageJoe90 Oct 2014 #112

I understand Duncan had a temp of 103 when he was first admitted. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #28

Sheer dumb luck? Immunity from prior exposure in the fiance's case? kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #75

Duncan's family may be symptomatic JimDandy Oct 2014 #77

Release from quarantine? krkaufman Oct 2014 #116

How long was he sitting in a crowded ER waiting room before being seen? hedgehog Oct 2014 #98

This is in the article, it will be interesting to see what they come up with. uppityperson Oct 2014 #41

How do they know that the protocol they SHOULD be following isn't the one pnwmom Oct 2014 #53

that has bothered me from the beginning.they assure us that ordinary hospital PPEs are enough magical thyme Oct 2014 #108

I think it is what they recommend in Africa, so they're trying to say it is enough here, too. pnwmom Oct 2014 #110

because they aren't available and we aren't trained in them. magical thyme Oct 2014 #111

The Dallas workers didn't get the same protection as the Emory and Nebraska workers. pnwmom Oct 2014 #51

Removing contaminated PPE is supposedly the most dangerous time. kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #70

Actually, no.. cannabis_flower Oct 2014 #73

Duncan wasn't in a special unit; he was in an ICU ward all to himself magical thyme Oct 2014 #96

20 days ... and 15 days krkaufman Oct 2014 #118

could another city host NFL-Dallas home games? ...nt quadrature Oct 2014 #3

In florida, we have a strain of MRSA DonCoquixote Oct 2014 #4

Thank you for bringing this up - hedgehog Oct 2014 #99

A key question I think is aceofblades Oct 2014 #5

agreed OKNancy Oct 2014 #9

The article says she was exposed during his second visit. n/t JimDandy Oct 2014 #31

Welcome to DU, aceofblades! calimary Oct 2014 #88

(it's been 21 days, hasn't it?) Not quite; 10/12/14 is Day 19. Duncan timeline: WinkyDink Oct 2014 #7

It's three weeks from last exposure. Yo_Mama Oct 2014 #11

The timeline shows that Duncan's symptoms started on 10/24/14/ WinkyDink Oct 2014 #15

Last exposure outside the hospital was 9/28. It is now two weeks later Yo_Mama Oct 2014 #18

Quarantine release on 19th seems premature krkaufman Oct 2014 #120

I don't know what they will be doing Yo_Mama Oct 2014 #121

Can I have next week's lottery numbers please. JTFrog Oct 2014 #34

For any particular person, the 21 day period would start after THAT person's pnwmom Oct 2014 #54

Correct. 21 days after the last exposure. You wrote it well. uppityperson Oct 2014 #64

It's not 3 weeks. It's only 2 weeks. LisaL Oct 2014 #21

The incubation period is three weeks - it's only been two Yo_Mama Oct 2014 #38

Epidemiology FAIL. The longest documented incubation period for kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #76

42 days? krkaufman Oct 2014 #119

Quarantine Texas! fbc Oct 2014 #13

I would be surprised if this is the last contact to come down with it. Vinca Oct 2014 #14

Had not thought of the hospital costs, they should be waived for any potential ebola case. peacebird Oct 2014 #16

When I got exposed to rabies and went down to County-USC for PEP, kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #79

That's because they rejected Medicaid expansion. n/t pnwmom Oct 2014 #55

That's the one thing that worries me. AverageJoe90 Oct 2014 #113

That's so sad.... paleotn Oct 2014 #17

Well stated. misterhighwasted Oct 2014 #23

I don't understand why we can't restrict people from coming here from those countries either. Chemisse Oct 2014 #29

Lol. "...shut that whole thing down." Rozlee Oct 2014 #106

That's actually where I got that phrase - lol. Chemisse Oct 2014 #107

how do you cordon off those countries? Build impenetrable fences all the way around? uppityperson Oct 2014 #42

We require passports and sometime VISA's when people go through customs. pnwmom Oct 2014 #56

People are crossing the borders there, moving the disease around to other African countries uppityperson Oct 2014 #57

We can't control Africa, but we can limit people coming from Liberia (or another heavily impacted pnwmom Oct 2014 #62

Ah, so unlike paleotn who wants to cordon off those countries and stop the epidemic, you want only uppityperson Oct 2014 #63

Can you read? pnwmom Oct 2014 #68

There are no direct flights to/from Liberia. Thor_MN Oct 2014 #66

So? It is easy enough to see where someone's flights originated. They knew that Duncan pnwmom Oct 2014 #69

And if they buy two tickets, rather than a connecting flight? Thor_MN Oct 2014 #71

His passport and visas would tell the story. n/t pnwmom Oct 2014 #80

No. But telling people with Liberian, Guinean, or Sierra Leone passports kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #82

So does your graduate work tell you that only people who are citizens of those countries Thor_MN Oct 2014 #85

The vast majority of victims of Ebola are in fact the citizens of Liberia, kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #86

Closing borders will triger that exodus. Thor_MN Oct 2014 #89

Its a combination of CullenBohannon Oct 2014 #47

But...but...that might inconvenience the Oil and Gas bigwigs!!! All of West Africa's economy will be Stardust Oct 2014 #58

I agree with you except for the medical workers who get ebola and come home kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #81

This message was self-deleted by its author Denver Progressive Oct 2014 #95

Here we go. TwilightGardener Oct 2014 #24

4 BSL hospitals in the US greymattermom Oct 2014 #25

Given that that blog also suggests that Ebola patients are going to be rounded hedgehog Oct 2014 #97

The bottom line greymattermom Oct 2014 #27

I've been appalled at Frieden's claims that ANY US hospital can safely kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #83

unfortunately drray23 Oct 2014 #30

I think there must be something they really don't know about ebola... Sancho Oct 2014 #32

And the head of the CDC is almost immediately blaming the protocol dixiegrrrrl Oct 2014 #37

The nurse in Spain thinks she touched her face with a glove Quixote1818 Oct 2014 #92

No system is foolproof newblewtoo Oct 2014 #36

CDC protocol for removing contact isolation eilen Oct 2014 #39

Except we are being told it is just like HIV Drayden Oct 2014 #46

This message was self-deleted by its author transeo Oct 2014 #78

not only do gloves tear, I've had gram stain permeate them on at least 2 occasions magical thyme Oct 2014 #109

not good shanti Oct 2014 #43

The majority of health care workers are not trained to the level required pediatricmedic Oct 2014 #45

Why don't they use ultraviolet light dixiegrrrrl Oct 2014 #48

I think they should wipe down the exterior of their PPE with kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #84

I agree. You can't be too safe. Quixote1818 Oct 2014 #93

"admitted she probably"-- probably under some duress, I would think. pnwmom Oct 2014 #61

The Spanish woman was not a nurse but a volunteer with minimal training and poor iso gear uppityperson Oct 2014 #65

The one in TX is apparently a professional nurse. LisaL Oct 2014 #94

Where are the DUers who said this couldn't happen here? crim son Oct 2014 #60

I think now is the time to designate centers and trained staff to handle these cases. AngryOldDem Oct 2014 #72

Good idea. Not every little community hospital is prepared to handle emergencies like this. n/t pnwmom Oct 2014 #91

I agree with you however....but is transporting contagious people to the special snappyturtle Oct 2014 #102

It's already happening. The MA (possible) patient turned up at an urgent care center pnwmom Oct 2014 #104

Thank you. nt snappyturtle Oct 2014 #114

the CDC has confirmed the positive magical thyme Oct 2014 #105

Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2014 #115